Loving, helping the poor at Charlotte Amore

by Susan Palmes-Dennis

Loving one another means helping each other and this was both the theme and challenge for the recent Charlotte Amore dinner and dance event held at the St. Gabriel Parish Center in Charlotte, North Carolina.

In a speech he gave for the event Jake Miranda, manager for ANCOP Foundation Inc.'s Southeast Asian region, cited a quote from the late Mother Teresa who said that people “will be judged on the basis of their love for one another.”

Jake Miranda with wife Rosemary and son Jeremy

The Charlotte Amore event also coincided with the annual celebration of Valentine's Day and February as the Love Month.  Amore is an Italian word for love and the event highlights the love shared by married couples.

He said this love for one another is demonstrated through faith in action which means helping each other, especially those who cannot help themselves.  

ANCOP, an acronym for Answering The Call of the Poor, is a non-profit organization organized by the Couples for Christ to help the poor.

The CFC is a ministry by the Catholic Church for its married faithful.  Miranda told those in attendance that the Amore dinner and dance event is a fundraiser for poor but deserving scholars in the Philippines.

About 10 students will be added to the 21 beneficiaries of the scholarship program to be funded by the dinner dance event through ANCOP's Child Sponsorship Program. 

The Charlotte Amore event is the first to be held for this purpose in the Charlotte area.  Food was provided by Love Garden while the husband and wife team of Bing and Meng Lorenzo hosted the event which drew more than 200 persons in attendance.

Among those who provided entertainment were the group Pinoy Noir Lite, guest band Tarah and the Emojis and the CFC Charlotte.

Giving individual song and duet performances were Emelyn “Em-Em" Burgess, auditor of the Filipino-American Community of the Carolinas Inc. (FACC) , past FACC president Bert Rodriguez and Leia Anastacio.